Everything Changes Jack's POV
by Evey Edge
Summary: The episode Everything Changes from Jack's point of view. Slightly Jack/Gwen. Have you ever wondered what was happening at Torchwood while Gwen was poking around? Did you ever question why Jack thought Gwen would make a good recruit? This is my best guess
1. Chapter 1

Someone was watching. A man who has been around as long as I have and done the kind of things I've done develops certain instincts about when he's getting too much attention. The wrong kind of attention, that is. Of other kinds there was never really too much. Except maybe when I'm working, and even then…anyway the vibe I was sensing now was nothing like _those_ kind of vibes. Someone was interested alright, but not in me. In Torchwood.

A brief sweep of the crowd told me what I need to know. Among the hoard of spectators watching with varying expression of shock, fear, and morbid fascination I found the one I was looking for. A policewoman with dark brown hair, staring right me. Figures. Torchwood never has been very popular with the local authorities. They seem to think we invade their turf, break protocol, all of the petty little things they hold so near and dear. I usually don't concern myself with their bruised egos, but today one of their numbers might be looking to make herself my problem.

I glance at my team, but they're too focused on their work to have noticed anything odd. Susie seemly particularity excited, on account of the glove being her baby. Personally I don't understand her attachment. The thing makes me damn uneasy. Not that I'd share this with the team. What would they do if the knew the reason behind my belief that the dead should stay dead? Pointless to even thinking about. Just as pointless as my discomfort about the gauntlet. Who knew how it could help us in the coming war? If someone hands Torchwood a weapon, any weapon, the human race's survival depends on us using it. I know that better than anybody. Better to keep my focus on something else. Like the odd taste of the rain for example. Or the fact I could sense the woman was no longer standing behind me.

"Estrogen. Definitely Estrogen." She was still nearby, still watching. "You take the pill, flush it away, it enters the water supply, effeminizes the fish." She must have moved to get a better vantage point. If it was me… "Goes all the way into the sky," I raise my head just enough to surreptitiously check the buildings on either side of the alley. The parking garage. Got to be. "then falls all the way back down to me. Contraceptives in the rain. I love this planet." Curious and clever. Not bad traits, just a bit inconvenient. Nothing really to do about it at point. And besides, the woman's earned herself a bit of a show. "Still at least I won't get pregnant. Never doing that again." Wonder what she made of that comment. Alright enough fun, back to work.

"How's it going?" Susie had taken up her position behind the victim's head.

"Nothing yet. I'm trying to connect. I just can't feel it."

"Then hurry up and feel it. I'm freezing my ass of out here."

"It's not like flicking on a switch. It's more like access, it grants me access."

"Whatever that means." Owen and Susie squabbling, there's a shocker. Well I'm glad we're showing our audience what a team of real professionals looks like. You'd have thought those two would have been able to work out some of that tension in bed, but in the five months they had been going at it, they'd fought more, not less. Then again it probably kept the sex hotter- Susie's finally got something.

"Positions." Everyone obeys, but of course Owen feels the need to complain a bit more.

"Just concentrate. Susie." As she makes the connection the rain stops and the surrounding lights glow brighter as a result of the radiating energy. All the better for our police friend to see by. As the boy's head jerked up, shocked back into life, I listened for a reaction from the woman perched above us. I didn't hear a scream or even a gasp. Odd. Most people would have a stronger reaction to watching the dead come back to life. Without my sixth sense, I doubted I would have known she was even there.

The kid was panicking. Tosh's comforting wasn't helping matters much, but of the four of us she was the best suited for the task. Owen holds the dead in contempt, Susie needs to focus on glove while she works, and I don't trust myself to question when there are so many things I want to know…the temptation would be too great. Poor kid. No one wants to be dead. Except me.

Like before, the victim couldn't tell us anything valuable about his murderer. In theory the glove could solve every homicide, but in practice the thing seemed to be pretty useless. Maybe we just needed to give it more time. We'd only used the glove a dozen or so times. Violent death doesn't occur regularly enough in Cardiff for us to get a sufficient amount of practice. In a way this new string of murders was a good thing for Torchwood. It's allowed Susie to get more control and she's getting better with it all the time. Looking at the scared boy on the pavement, I'm ashamed of thinking that way. He was so young, so like the soldiers I once lead. So like the soldiers I watched die.

"What's your name?"

"John. John Tucker."

"OK John. Not long now." I used the same smile and calming words I've used with dozens of others I'd been with as they died. Easing this boy's fear seemed the least I could do.

"Who are you?" No matter how many times I'm asked the question, no matter who asks I always answer the same way. The others think I do it to be enigmatic. They're wrong. I do it because it is the best answer I have to who I am. It's name of the man who changed from con man to hero. The man I was proud to be. Feeling the seconds slip by I was compelled to ask the question, "Tell me, what was it like when you died. What did you see? John, tell me what you saw." There's no harm in asking now, we already gotten everything we were going to get. Why shouldn't I ask?

"Ten seconds." Susie's warning made me lean in even closer. I waited as the kid struggled to remember.

"Nothing, I saw nothing. Oh my God there's nothing!" And he was gone. I felt cheated somehow. You would think I'd know more about death than anyone else, but there is no one who is less of an authority than me. Everyone else will know someday. I never will. Forever knowing the pain of dying and coming back, and never knowing the rest.

The team was fighting about the glove again. I feel like a school teacher, calling his pupils to order.

"We told the last corpse he was injured and he wasted the whole two minutes screaming for an ambulance. Maybe there's no right way to do it. What do you think?!" I caught a glimpse of wide frightened eyes before the woman instinctively ducked out of view. As I suspected my friend upstairs hadn't realized she had been noticed. The observer turned to the observed. That's what comes of listening at keyholes. The others were looking at me curiously.

"Pack it up fast, we've got a spectator." They all grumbled, especially Owen but within twenty seconds we were back in the car and headed back toward the Hub. I tuned out the comments of the team as I drove, thinking instead of the wide brown eyes I'd glimpsed. Would she run home and try to forget? Would she try to find us? My curiosity was pointless. How ever she reacted it would end the same. One Retcon pill and a safe return to her normal world. Still, I did wonder.


	2. Chapter 2

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"Good morning Susie." My second in command doesn't take her eyes off the knife she's busy getting measurements from.

"Good morning Jack." I'm the only one she responds to when she's working with her two favorite artifacts, and that only because I'm the boss. The others have long since stopped trying, leaving Susie to do her own thing. The woman is dedicated to this place, that's why she's my number two. I know I can count on her to be vigilant in the coming war.

"Morning Tosh. Have you got the dossier on our uninvited guest last night?" Tosh hit a few buttons and suddenly a picture and profile filled the screen.

"I was able to pull her photo from the cameras at the parking garage. I cross checked that image with the employment records from the Cardiff police force. Meet Police Constable Gwen Cooper." Definitely the same woman from last night, I'd know those eyes anywhere. "I've emailed her profile to Ianto. According to the police roaster she's on duty until 6 tonight, so reaching her might be a bit difficult until then. She also lives with one Rhys Williams, so tampering with her home beverages could be a bit tricky."

"What would you recommend?"

"Her profile indicates she goes out to the pub a few times a week with friends. I would recommend slipping her the Retcon there." Tosh smiled at me uncertainly. Of all my staff Toshiko was probably the most brilliant and the most insecure. I return her smile with my more confident one.

"Sounds like a plan. Ah Owen, so glad you decided to grace us with your presence." Owen ambled in looking slightly red-eyed and disheveled.

"Yeah, yeah, so what did I miss, the world ending? We just saved it last week and if it needs saving again already I'd just assume let it bugger off." That's Owen, our very own bright little ray of sunshine.

"Jack there's something else." I turned to look at Toshiko, half thinking she was making something up to distract me from Owen's truancy. It was sweet the way she tried to protect him sometimes.

"Someone from the police station ran a search on you this morning." Coincidence? Unlikely. So PC Cooper was looking for me was she? Well luckily Torchwood would be catching up with her far sooner than she'd be catching up with them.

"Did they find anything?" Tosh paused to look at me a moment, then looked away.

"No. Not a thing." I waited for her to push me for information, for an explanation, but, being Tosh she didn't. I knew she'd personally run a search far more thorough than anything an ordinary cop could pull off and gotten the same thing. Absolutely nothing.

"Good. Have Ianto keep tabs on her until then. If she talks to anyone we need to know about it."

"It's already done. Ianto has been following her car since she left her flat this morning."

"Wait a minute, so who's going to make my coffee?" Owen disregards the general importance of Ianto's function at Hub, but turns into a baby when he is asked to do without his services for a few days.

"Looks like we're all on our own. Think you can manage that Dr. Harper?"

"Yeah, yeah sure. Man, dealing with witnesses is annoying. Life would be so much easier if we could just shoot them."

A series of beeps issued from one of the computers on Tosh's desk.

"Jack, we've got Weevil activity moving outside its usual sewer grid."

"Has it surfaced?"

"No. But the amount of movement is abnormal, especially for this time of day."

"Alright we'll keep an eye on it. Owen as last man in today you get the happy job of quarantining the area. I want you to block off any area remotely close to a possible sewer exit. Tosh grab the schematics and go with him. I don't think it's likely the creature will make a move until sundown, but as a precaution I want both of you armed with the spray. I'll watch the screens and if the weevil does surface I'll call and you will contain it until the rest of us get there. No heroics. I lose one of you and I'll have to train a replacement and you know how much I'd hate that."


	3. Chapter 3

"Ianto the weevil's gone rogue and is heading for the surface. I need you to drop Cooper and head over to the coordinates I'm texting you. According to the map it looks like it will be coming up into a hospital. Containment could be a problem so I want you backing up Tosh and Owen. What's your ETA?" There was a few seconds of dead air that was filled with the beeping of horns as Susie cut off yet another compact car.

"I'm already there, sir. Police Constable Gwen Cooper sustained a head injury today in the line of duty. She's being examined as we speak." Twice in two days. Odd coincidence but not something I have time to think about right now.

"Good, saves us money on gas. Rendezvous with Tosh and Owen. Susie and I will see you in fiv-" Another eruption of honks cut me off. "Three minutes." 

Susie's NASCAR skills had us in the parking lot a full thirty seconds before my estimate. 

"Pull into the back, we don't want to be seen carrying it out. And Susie, next time I drive." 

"Why?" Susie shot me her customary smirk. The rest of the team was waiting for us at the back entrance. 

"The Weevil is contained within the diagnostic wing we evacuated this morning. The entrance is sealed and the hospital porters have been informed of a chemical leak on the floor."

"Ahhh, the chemical leak cover story. A golden oldie. Good work. Susie, Tosh, Owen, back entrance. Ianto, be on standby in the van, we want this done as quickly and quietly as possible. I'm going in through the front."


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright everyone, approach with caution." I whispered into the com as softly as I could with the mike still being able to pick up my voice. Loud sounds and fast movements have a way of making a Weevil extra aggressive and this one was unstable even by rogue standards. Weevils are typically nocturnal creatures, one of the reasons they adapt so well to life in the sewers. A member of this species going topside during the day was unheard of. 

"Hello!" The voice echoing down the hallway did not belong to a member of the team. Perfect.

"Everyone we've got a civilian in proximity. Do not engage, do not break cover." 

"Sorry, I was just looking for someone." The woman, whoever she was just kept talking, completely oblivious of the danger she was in. Who was she talking to? 

"What part of do not break cover do you not understand!"

"It's not us, Captain. She's talking to the Weevil." An already unpredictable situation with a wild card thrown in. Life couldn't just be simple for once. 

"Continue to hold. If we surprise it, it might rush her." I could feel the blood pounding in my ears as I heard footsteps moving closer and closer toward the danger. She was saying something about looking for a man in a military coat. Great, so she was following me. I'd blown through the main hospital in a matter of seconds and in that short span of time I'd managed to pick up a tail. 

"Ok, if you could answer this is official business." Official business? She had to be lying. The government knew better than to interfere with Torchwood. Still the way she said it sounded legit…P.C. Cooper! A woman with a head injury who is alert enough to spot and recognize me in a few moments? It should have been impossible. With those acute powers of observation you would think she could tell she was speaking to a killer alien.

Her voice was calm and steady, the tone no doubt taught in the police academy to demand answers while keeping tempers cool. Little did she know that tone was probably the only thing keeping the monster's teeth from her throat. If she makes any aggressive sounding noises…

"Everyone ready on my mark. I'll get the witness clear the rest of you subdue the target."

"Ah there you are!" Another voice, another person to protect from their own stupidity! And this one would just not shut up! Unlike the police woman, this man sounded like he was bounding straight into range of the weevil while being as loud as humanly possible. He might as well have been waving a red flag.

"Jack?" They need an order and I can't be sure which to give. Two civilians. Two potential casualties. Attack or hold? Attack or hold? Attack or hold? A roar told me I had waited too long.

"Go!" As I sprang into the hallway I saw the victim of my indecision was the man. No time for regrets. I grabbed Gwen Cooper's arm and pulled her down the hallway, back toward the safety of her world and away from the danger of mine. 


	5. Chapter 5

"Ianto floor it!" Tires squealed against pavement as the car peeled out of the alley and headed for the nearest exit. As we rounded the corner to the main lot I caught a flash of someone standing in the middle of the street. 

"Look out!" Ianto jerked the wheel just in time to avoid collision and issued a unIanto-like honk of irritation. The weevil, unable to stop itself in its prone state, slammed up against the side of its cage. Glancing back I saw the pedestrian was now trying to chase us on foot. Wasn't she a persistent little thing. 

"Tosh I got a feeling our friend in the trunk is going to need an alibi sooner rather than later."

"I'm on it." At the pace Toshiko's fingers were flying across her laptop, I had no doubt that by the time we reached the Hub even the dead man would have trouble disputing the falsified records. 

"Perfect, we have another civilian prancing about, ready to spill our secrets to the world. If this keeps up we're going to run out of Retcon by the end of the month." Ianto spared me a sideways glance before obediently training his eyes on the road. Clearly he'd seen who he had almost rundown. 

"Rest easy Susie, our stash of amnesia pills is safe. We will still only be needing one."

"What do you mean?"

"The woman from today is the same woman from last night, Police Constable Gwen Cooper."

"How'd she find us?" Owen sounded incredulous a mere police officer could have the skills and resources to track us down. I guess being in Torchwood does make us a bit smug about our own superiority. I shared the sentiment. Given what we give up for this job I think we are entitled to a little pride. Still, every once in a while someone from the outside does sweep in to catch us off guard. I was beginning to think Gwen Cooper was one of these.

"She didn't find us. She was already at the hospital for something unrelated and must have seen me on the way in."

"Right, she just happened to be in the same hospital, at the same time, while we happen to be chasing a Weevil that shouldn't have been there in the first place. Hell of a coincidence Jack."

"Perhaps it's fate." Like so many of Ianto's comments, these works were spoken softly with a dash of omniscience. The car was uncomfortably silent for a moment and even Tosh paused to look at him.

"Maybe you're right Ianto. The powers that be have decided we have enough work without having to track down witnesses, so they are sending Gwen Cooper to us." As I finished my joke I suddenly became aware of the police cruiser speeding along just a few cars behind us. Speak of the devil. How the hell had she caught up with us? She must drive even faster than Susie. Ianto's eyes flickered to the rear view mirror. He'd obviously already spotted our tail.

"Ianto, how long has she been back there?"

"About 45 seconds, sir."

"Any particular reason you didn't tell me?"

"You seemed preoccupied, sir and there's not much to do about it at the moment. That is unless you'd like to shoot out her tires." Ianto's face betrayed no sign of sarcasm, but then it never did. Made it damn hard to tell when he was joking. "When we leave the highway would you like me to lose her, sir?" I paused to consider this for a second.

"No," I decided finally, "If she wants to find Torchwood this badly, it seems rude to keep her away."

" '"Come into my web", said the spider to the fly.'" Sometimes Susie's sense of humor bordered on somewhat twisted. Her comment struck me as too close to the truth for comfort. The amnesia pill was never meant strictly for our benefit. When Torchwood touches the lives of ordinary people, it changes them, marks them, and sometimes scars them forever. It is better for their sakes as well as ours to forget. This Gwen Cooper's life had been touched twice now. How long until she faced the consequences of that? The interior of the car darkened as we drove into a tunnel. That was what the woman was doing now, chasing me down a dark tunnel. And I wanted her follow, I knew that. The only thing I didn't know was why.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ianto drop us off at the lift and just drive. We can't risk carrying in a body and a weevil in broad daylight."

"Lovely, sir. Nothing like a leisurely drive around Cardiff with a savage alien and murdered corpse in the backseat."

"Nobody said this job was easy." As we pulled up to the curb I saw the police cruiser was no more than 50 yards behind us. "Alright everybody out." I could hear her calling to us as we approached the slab of sidewalk that would take us down to our head quarters. Nobody turned around until we'd all squeezed on to the relatively small block. I looked over and saw a confused looking Gwen Cooper staring right back at me. It jolted me enough to wonder if the perception filter was still functioning. Then she slid her gaze back across the whole area again. She couldn't see a thing.

"If I feel anyone's hand anywhere its not supposed to be, I will snap it off at the wrist." Although I knew Susie's comment was primary directed at Owen I couldn't stop myself from jumping on it.

"Is the restriction just on hands, because I have several other roaming body parts. I'd like to know if they'd meet the same fate."

"Only one way to find out." The lift had reached the ground floor. Everyone immediately hopped off and headed toward their work stations.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in my office."

I draped my coat over the back of my chair, dropped into the recliner, and brought up the exterior cameras onto the monitor. Gwen Cooper was circling around the statue like a bloodhound trying to find a lost scent. I could see the showers that had been promising to spill from the overcast sky had finally made an appearance. I felt strangely disappointed when Cooper left her position fifteen minutes later and headed back to her car. I suppose it was because in the last 48 hours her persistence and curiosity had raised my expectations. She'd defied a mandate from her superiors, searched for a man that didn't technically exist, barely escaped an encounter with a killer alien, and chased a special ops SUV only to be stopped by a little rain? Maybe I just felt insulted I was a pursuit so easily abandoned. But maybe she wasn't abandoning it. Gwen Cooper was sitting in her car alright, but she wasn't starting the engine. She was watching, waiting. Maybe doing more than that. 

"Tosh, sorry to bother you, but could you tune into the police radio frequency. I want to know if Cooper is talking about us to dispatch."

"What's the matter Jack, are your ears burning?" I looked over in surprise to see Susie strolling towards us. It had to the first time in weeks I'd seen her willingly leave her work bench. Apparently I wasn't the only one intrigued by our new stalker.

"Just being cautious Susie. Rules and regulations."

"Here we go." Sounds of radio static issued from Tosh's computer.

"-_No such number_."

"_What does that mean_?"

"_Doesn't exist. I double-checked with Swansey, triple-checked. No such vehicle. But Temple's been asking about you Gwen. You in trouble_?" There was a click and a few seconds of dead air. "_Gwen? Gwen?_" 

"You can turn it off." So she ran our plates. We were going to need new counterfeits. One more thing for Ianto to do when he gets back. Cooper's sure not making this an easy week for him. Then again from what I heard on the radio Torchwood's not been making this an easy week for her. Another look at the screen in my office told me her troubles were just getting started. Another man was with her in her car. From the black jacket and hat I'd guess it was another policeman, probably her partner. Who, I realized suddenly, she must have stranded at the hospital. From the way he was gesturing I could only assume he wasn't too happy about this. I allowed myself a brief chuckle. They got out of the car and Gwen resumed her pacing around the site of our disappearance. Now she was the one gesturing, right up in his face. I could almost hear the conversation in my head, her convinced of the things she'd seen, him with "the facts" trying to calm his deluded partner. 9 out of 10 chance he brings up the head injury. I almost felt sorry for her as he led her away, no doubt making soothing noises as they walked. So long for now Gwen Cooper. I had no doubt that she would be back. 


	7. Chapter 7

I sighed and set down the mound of paperwork I'd been shuffling through for the last forty minutes. After moving the weevil into the vault and the body into the morgue I walked, not quickly, but purposefully back into my office, hoping to PC Cooper would be back on the monitor. Of course she hadn't been. Reasonably I knew that this was logical. She had left less than thirty minutes ago. It would take about that long for her partner to drive her to her flat. She was probably hungry. Her head probably hurt. She must have been tired. I knew all this. But still…why wasn't she back yet? Trying to focus on work hadn't helped. It was a bit difficult following reports when my eyes instinctively flicked up to the screen every fourth word. I hit the intercom button on my desk. 

"Ianto could you bring me a coffee?" I paused a second, to make it seem like an afterthought before adding, "And PC Cooper's profile, while you're at it." 

"Of course, sir." Good old Ianto, no prying, no back talk, just efficiency. The coffee and file were on my desk in two minutes.

"Thanks Ianto. Hey, I know you've got a lot of extra stuff on your plate this week with the new plates for the car and coordinating damage control for the weevil incident with Tosh, so I was thinking I could take over the Cooper matter." Ianto blinked once before giving a nod of ascent.

"As you wish, sir." This wasn't that unusual. I'd taken responsibility for retconing witnesses before. Hell, I had instituted the protocol. It didn't mean anything that I wanted to personally handle this one. Just like it didn't anything that for the first time since Ianto's arrival I hadn't felt the need to watch his perfectly shaped ass leave my office. Didn't mean a damn thing.

I flipped open the manila envelope and was greeted with a photograph of Gwen Cooper's face. I liked this face. It wasn't just that it was an attractive, though objectively, it was. I'd met plenty of gorgeous faces that I'd dismissed or even despised. This face held something else. I couldn't tell if it was the wide green eyes or the adorable gap in her warm smile, but something in that face radiated innocence. Maybe innocence was the wrong word. Purity. An unsullied core. It was a face that could evoke both the urge to protect and the urge to ask for protection. For forgiveness. For comfort. Alright enough, time to flip the page before I start composing a sonnet. Shall I compare thee to a bag of fertilizer? No, thou art more full of shit. A face was only face. 

Police records however were a bit more concrete. Graduated the academy in the top ten percent. Mostly positive reviews from her superiors. Intelligent, innovative, hard-working, interacts well with colleagues, capable dealing with witnesses. The only negative report was filed by Lieutenant John Temple who accused Constable Cooper of insubordination and failure to follow chain of command. Reading between the lines of the complaint, I was able to work out the actual scenario. Officer Cooper had pursued her own line of investigation without consulting her commanding officer. This investigation had paid off and when she brought the information back to Temple he'd felt shown up by a lesser ranking officer. Bureaucracy punishing initiative, how surprising. These situations would probably hold Cooper back throughout her whole career. Maybe it was presumptuous to think I understood her after two brief encounters and one dossier, but I felt I did. Everything I'd read confirmed was my instincts had told me. Clever, curious, resourceful, and singled-minded. 

"Jack? I have the alloy analysis for the knife. Jack?" Where had Susie come from? How had I missed her coming in?

"Great, thanks, just leave it on the desk."

"What are you so busy working at anyway?" Susie snatched the file off my desk before I could stop her. When she opened it her face changed for just a split second before settling back into its default smirk.

"The policewoman. Oh Captain, my Captain, do you see something you like?" I laughed lightly, while inwardly trying to make sense of Susie's brief facial spasm.

"Come on Susie, you know I only have eyes for you."

"Clearly or you wouldn't have been pouring over a photo when you could be staring at the real thing." She jerked her chin toward the monitor behind me. I spun around and sure enough I could make out a lone figure, standing as still as the statue she faced. She was back.

"She arrived about five minutes ago. Owen's taking bets on how longs she stays out there. Owen's betting twenty minutes, on account of it being freezing. Tosh says thirty-five. I put my money on sixty, and Ianto for some reason reckons a hundred twenty-one. The bet's 20 quid. Care to place a wager?" I dug into my wallet and slapped the money into her hand.

"Put me down for three hours." 


	8. Chapter 8

She still hadn't moved. Gwen Cooper had been standing outside headquarter for at least two and half hours in weather that was just barely above freezing. If she didn't leave soon Torchwood was going to be responsible for killing a woman via hypothermia. A first for us. I suppose I could always send Ianto out with a coffee, black, one sugar, one amnesia pill. That's not how I to do it though. Dedication like Gwen Cooper's was rare and deserved reward. I'd been working out a scenario in mind. Gwen Cooper goes to a pub, I follow her inside. I send her a drink. She sees me and comes over. She asks her questions, I answer. We talk, we laugh. She starts getting drowsy from the pill I slipped into her first drink. I get her a cab and send her home. 

"Sir? Your winnings." Ianto laid the stacks of bills on my desk. His right hand was still clutching his metal stopwatch.

"Three hours already?"

"Technically three hours and seven seconds, but for our purposes, yes."

"It's making me cold just looking at her. Don't police usually use cars on stakeouts?"

"That is the traditionally accepted method, yes sir." As if she's heard them the dark figure on the screen turned around and headed off camera. 

"I guess that's it for the night."

"No sir, she hasn't left. Her car is still parked on screen. Perhaps she went for some sustenance."

"Could be. Speaking of sustenance, ask the gang if they'd mind some Chinese tonight. I'm in the mood for a little Musho Pork. Oh and Ianto keep an eye out for her. I'm getting one of those feelings about this one."

"As am I, sir." 

Thirty minutes later Ianto buzzed my intercom.

"Sir your takeout has arrived."

"Already? That was fast. So what's the problem, did they bring us the wrong food?"

"I should say so sir, until I am mistaken and pizza IS in fact a traditional Chinese dish. And of course there is the small matter of the delivery woman. I was unaware public service paid so very poorly police constables are forced to spend their off hours working minimum wage jobs."

"Gwen Cooper?"

"Yes sir. How would you like me to proceed?"

"Who am I to turn down free food? Send her in."

"Very good, sir." Leaning back in my chair I allowed myself a moment to appreciate the humor of the situation. Torchwood, outside the police, beyond the United Nations, a top secret organization protecting the Earth from alien threats, infiltrated by one woman carrying an armful of pizza. 

"Hey guys, who's up for some fun?"

"Unless it involves me eating a large amount of take-out, I'm not interested."

"Actually Owen, there is food involved. PC Cooper is heading down the tunnel as we speak, cunningly disguised as a pizza delivery woman."

"You mean she's here, in the building, right now? She found us? How?"

"I don't know. She's good. If I had to guess, I would say someone here has gotten sloppy with security protocol. But that's not the point right now. What is the point is that I want to give PC Cooper a few minutes of authentic Torchwood experience before letting her know her cover is blown."

"So you what us to do…what?"

"Do your jobs. Act natural."

"Natural for us. Meaning creepy and freakish to her."

"Now that's the spirit Tosh. Scare the shit out of her. I'm up for it."

"Knew I could count on you, Owen. Tosh?"

"Sure, why not. A bit of fun never hurt anyone."

"Excellent. Susie?"

"Scary huh? I'll do my best."

"You do fine. Positions everyone, she'll be here any second." 


	9. Chapter 9

It is amazing how hard it is to act natural when you know someone is watching you. I can only just barely pull it off and I've had years of experience with this kind of thing. I wonder how the others are holding up? From the second the metal cog rolled back to reveal a bewildered Gwen Cooper, all I've wanted to do was to break out my role and yell 'Surprise!'. I can't be the one to spoil the fun though, as the whole game was my idea. I've got to keep walking slowly down my secondary desk on the main floor. What is her game plan anyway? Come in, take a look around, drop off the pizza, and go? If she wants to keep up this whole delivery charade she'll need to talk to someone. As Susie's holding a blow torch and Owen and Tosh are at computers, the logical choice would be me. She'll come over, and give me the pizza, I'll ask how much, she'll quote a price, and I'll say… 'I don't have money. Would you take the answers to all your questions about my secret organization instead?' No. How about: 'I don't have any money, but since we didn't order this pizza, I don't think we should have to pay for it.' No. How about: 'I don't have any money. Would you take a personal check from Torchwood, PC Cooper?' Maybe. Oh no. Inches from the finish line and Owen has to ruin it with his snickering. Now Tosh can't stop either. Great. 

"I'm sorry, I can't do this. I'm rubbish. I give up." Cooper looks confused, she doesn't understand what's going on yet.

"He set me off!" 

"That lasted not point two seconds"

"She's actually carrying pizza." Oh, she's starting to get it now. Reminds me a little of an escaped convict trapped in a searchlight, unsure which way to bolt. Still, no reason not to have a little fun with her. She did crash our party after all.

"Come on. She was going to say 'Here's your pizza' and I was going to say 'how much' and she says 'Oh whatever twenty quid' and then I was going to say 'Oh I don't have any money.' I was working on a punch line, had we gotten there, but it would have been good." Maybe not standup material, but decent anyway. 

"Here's your pizza. I think I better go." So NOW she wants to leave. Spying is not so much fun once you get caught. Too late Miss Cooper, you wanted in, and now you're stuck here for a while.

"I think we've gone past that stage." Pasted it about to days ago when you decided to climb into a parking garage to spy on a group of people who had nothing to do with you. 

"You must have been freezing out there. How long were you walking around? Three hours?"

"You could see me?" Cooper looks like she's beginning to understand exactly how out of her depth she is. Still it's not like everyone here is completely cloak and dagger. She was able to find our headquarters through a pizza place.

"And before we go any further, who the hell orders pizza under the name Torchwood?"

"That would be me, sorry. I'm a twat." Of course it would be Owen. Memo to self, ask Ianto to handle all food orders from now on. 

"That man at the hospital. That porter? What happened to him? That was real wasn't it, he was attacked?" She looked at us for confirmation of her sanity. It really was a shame that in this time and place people doubted their own eyes before considering the possibly of there being more outside their small world. It was also a shame I could give her better news.

"He's dead."

"But there's no one gone missing"

"We took the body, retrospectively changed the work order, planted a false witness who saw him leaving the hospital giving him an alibi for the next forty-eight hours so when his body is pulled out of the docks next Tuesday night he will only have been missing for three days." Even I'm impressed and I see Toshiko pull this stuff off everyday. 

"He was murdered." Funny, Cooper didn't sound impressed.

"Yeah."

"And you covered it up." She actually sounded kind of accusatory. Well she is a policewoman and we did cover a crime. I can see why that wouldn't sit well with her. 

"That's my job."

"And that other man. John Tucker. Last night in the alley way I saw you…" She didn't seem able to finish the sentence. The all powerful instinct to rationalize rears it ugly head again.

"And what did you see?"

"You revived him." Stubborn. Keeping pushing, she knows the truth.

"No. What did you see?" 

"You resuscitated him." Even she doesn't believe what she's saying. She won't even look at me. She came here to have her eyes opened, so why was she fighting it now?

"No. What did you see?"

"You brought him back to life." There, that's wasn't so bad, was it? 

"Yeah."

"Who are you?" A question for the ages.

"Torchwood."

"What's Torchwood?"

"This is Torchwood. All around you." This conversation could easily become a Beckett play.

"And what happens to me?" She sounded nervous and looking at it from her end she has every right to be. She's trapped alone, underground, with four members of a strange and secret organization. And it's not like I can reassure by telling her about the amnesia pill. Even if I could I doubt someone like her would find lose her memories, even forty-eight hours of them, a good thing. 

"I'm police. Constable Gwen Cooper. You can't do anything." She was brave too. Strange her dossier didn't mention that. Here she was, unarmed in dangerous and unfamiliar territory, probably scared out of her mind, and she was trying to tough her way out of it. If anyone on the outside deserved some show and tell, she did. 

"Right then, PC Cooper, do you want to come see?"

"See what?"

"You saw the murder. Come and see the murderer." When I tell someone to come with me, I generally expect to be followed, probably a habit of my many years of being in command. This was why I found it kind of shocking a few seconds later when I realized Gwen Cooper wasn't right behind me. I couldn't be more frightening than the three of them combined could I? Especially not with Owen staring at her like a dead animal ready for dissection. I felt relieved when I heard the pair of boots and barrage of questions catching up with me from behind. A small act of trust. Proof Gwen Cooper didn't consider me the boogeyman of the dark closet she'd walked into. Nice to know, because sometimes I wondered myself. 


	10. Chapter 10

"It's alright

You never know how a person will react when you tell them everything they've ever believed, everything they've thought to be rational and sane, every comforting word they've told themselves in the dark, has been a lie. I've seen people run, scream, faint, cry, vomit, and freeze. A few have even laughed, although that tends to be a bad sigh. I was curious to see into which category Gwen Cooper would fall.

"It's alright. It's safe. It's sedated. It's called a Weevil. Or at least we call them Weevils. We don't know their real name because they're not too good at communicating. We've got a couple of hundred of them in the city, living in the sewers feeding off the, well sewers, you can guess. Every once in a while one goes rogue, comes to the surface, attacks. Actually it's been happening more and more. We have no idea why. But it's alien. Look into its eyes." She seemed to be holding up well so far. There was fear in her eyes, but there was awe as well. It's a lot to process. She probably should be sitting down for this. I reach behind me and grab the chair I always leave in the hallway for the nights I come down here to stare into the eyes of the abyss. A therapist would probably tell me it was an unhealthy past time. Whatever. I haven't put much stock in psychoanalysis since the day I met Sigmund Freud. Now that guy had serious issues. 

"There you go." I let my hand linger on her shoulder, partly to reassure myself she wasn't go topple forward and partly because it felt right to offer comfort. Maybe I was right about her face, the urge to protect and all that.

"Take your time. It was born on a different world and it's real." I stood and watched as she sat in silence, staring at the creature that had almost taken her life. She looked so small and fragile compared to ballsy woman who'd waltzed into my headquarters with only a stack of pizza for protection. Enough showing off. I eased her out of the chair and led her back upstairs to the main Hub. 

"Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper." Introductions seemed only fair, we all know her name she should have a chance to know ours. 

"Doctor Owen Harper, thank you." Not really an important distinction for someone who won't remember any of us in an hour's time, but Owen will be Owen. 

"Toshiko Sato, computer genius." Tosh looked uncomfortable, but she usually did around strangers. 

"Susie Costello, she's second in command." I could tell Susie's smile was less at being labeled second in command and more at the pointlessness of the introduction. 

"And this is Ianto Jones. Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time." Ianto's smile was polite as always, betraying nothing about his thoughts on Cooper. He had come in to see her though. That had to mean something, although I had no idea what. 

"I try my best." Humble and handsome as ever. Shame I made it a personal rule not to seduce any members of my team. This, of course, don't rule out flirting.

"And he looks good in a suit." 

"Careful. That's harassment sir."

"Why are you telling me their names? I'm not supposed to know, this is classified isn't it?" It looks like Cooper got her voice back. Apparently the weevil didn't do any permanent damage.

"Way beyond classified."

"Then you shouldn't be telling me." Suddenly she isn't interested in knowing our secrets? "What are you going to do to me?" Oh right we were back to this conversation. Where's the trust? 

"What do you imagine?" Honestly does she think we're going to whack her and dump her in the East River? It seems PC Cooper might be a little paranoid.

"Well I've seen too much, your names and everything and the weevil. You can dump a man in the water and lie about his death." Well when she's puts it like that maybe we do sounds a little sinister. She's actually got Tosh, Owen and Ianto avoiding her eyes. Only Susie looks like she couldn't care less. Time to get out of here before someone cracks, tells Cooper about the amnesia pill, and I'm left having to force feed a pissed off policewoman. Not how I want to remember my encounter with Gwen Cooper. 

"Ok, Tosh: finish that calibration tomorrow morning. Owen: first thing, get a hold of Chancellor Mill, 'cause I think they're lying. Ianto: if he needs back up, then you'd better be on standby. Susie: I know it's a pain in the ass, but I need the cossing on the glove research. And as for you, you're coming with me, this way." It's almost the end of the tour, but at least I've got one more thing to dazzle her with before I send her on her way.

"I'm getting tired of following you." Again with the attitude. Cute, but patently untrue.

"No you're not. And you never will." What I could offer her, the adventure, the danger, the wonder would keep her by my side forever. Shame it's an offer I can't make. "Stand on here come on, next to me. You came in through the front door. Let's take the scenic route." The invisible lift, never fails to impress, and I was really enjoying impressing Gwen Cooper. I was enjoying how wide she opened her beautiful eyes twisting around trying to see in all directions at once. I was especially enjoying how it felt to have her back pressed up against my chest. Not that it changed anything. All part of the new Jack: duty before pleasure. Far too quickly we reached the sidewalk above.

"But they can see the lift why aren't they. I mean, we are right out in the open. They can see everything."

"Do they look like they can see us?" 

"No but look at us! We couldn't be more public!"

"Hello! Hey you there! Hello! It's called a perception filter. He can sort of see us, but we don't quite register. Just like something in the corner of your eye. It only works on this exact spot step off. Hi. Nice night. And low we are perceived." The things I've done on that spot…Best not to think about when the goal is to send Gwen Cooper home, not take her home.

"How does it work?" 

"No idea. We only know how to use it, not how it happened, but if I had to guess, I would say that it was a transcendental chameleon circuit place on this spot which welded its perception properties to a special temporal rift." Unless she has a background in interplanetary technology and temporal physics, she has no idea what I just said, but the cute face she's making makes it worth the long explanation. "Now that sounds kind of ridiculous. Invisible lift has got more of a ring to it, don't you think?"

"But hang on, if no one can see it when it's coming up, there is a bloody big hole in the ground. Don't people fall in?" I never thought of that. Serves right me for being so patronizing. She really was unbelievable. 

"That is so Welsh!"

"What is?"

"I show you something fantastic. You find fault." Funny, I'd never considered the hole, despite the many times I'd use the lift. Revealing comment about the way Gwen thinks, cutting though the abstract to the practical and showing concern for the safety of others. I wonder how a mind like that- no point in finishing the thought. I'm getting my drink and conversation, just like I wanted. Now's not the time to get greedy. 


	11. Chapter 11

"The thing is I just don't understand-"

Normally I love a woman who can drink, but the fact that Gwen Cooper hadn't come up for air yet had me a little worried. It wasn't that I couldn't understand her wanting a little alcohol. What she'd seen in the past forty-eight hours was enough to make most people mainline stronger stuff than what they keep on tap in the local pub. My only concern was that she'd finish her drink too fast and the retcon I'd slipped in as I passed her the glass would take effect sooner than I'd like. Fortunately it looked like she wasn't going to chug the entire glass in one go. I still had time.

"The thing, is I just don't understand-"

"No, I'll tell you what I don't understand. You're going to rattle on with this, 'How can this be true?', kind of shtick. What is it going to take for you people? If you want evidence of aliens, how about that great big spaceship hovering over London on Christmas day? What about the Battle of Canary Wharf? A Cyberman in every home?" If even intelligent people like Gwen Cooper had trouble accepting the truth, what did that mean for the world in general?

"My boyfriend says it's like a sort of terrorism." Boyfriend? Funny, I hadn't remembered that from her profile. Tosh must be slipping. "-drugs in the water supply. Psychotropic drugs causing mass hallucinations and stuff." No, wait, I think Tosh did mention a boyfriend this morning. A boyfriend Gwen lives with. 

"Well you're boyfriend's stupid." The file definitely hadn't mentioned that. 

"Oh you've met him." The file also hadn't mentioned Gwen was funny. Strange how incomplete profiles can be. Uh oh, she looks serious about something. I hope this doesn't mean we were heading back to the 'what are you going to do to me?' line of questioning. I don't want to tell her the truth and I'm running out of evasions.

"So you catch aliens." That was pretty painless. From the look on her face, I would have guessed she'd ask something much worse, like "Do we experiment on ET down in the basement?" 

"Yep."

"You catch aliens for a living."

"Yes I do."

"You're an alien catcher."

"Yes I am."

"Caught any good aliens?"

"Tons of them."

"That's a hell of a job."

"Sure is." I was enjoying this bizarrely repetitive conversation. I don't think it was what we were talking about that mattered. I liked our rhythm, two different parts of the same duet.

"This is so weird. And who are you then." The one topic I don't discuss with anyone, amnesia pill or no. 

"Captain Jack Harkness."

"I did some research and there's only one Captain Jack Harkness on record and he disappeared in 1941."

"Well that couldn't be me. Could it?" How deep are you willing to go Gwen Cooper? How much will you believe? God I needed to mentally slap myself. Jack Harkness are you doing? None of that matters. Finish what you started. 

"We don't just catch aliens. We salvage the stuff they leave behind, find ways of using it. Arming the human race for the future. The twenty-first century is where everything changes and you've got to be ready." Would she be one of the faceless millions to fall? She stuck me as a survivor, not a victim, but who really knew?

"But who's in charge of you? Is it the government?"

"We are separate from the government, outside the police, beyond the United Nations 'cause if one power got hold of this stuff, they could use it for their own purposes." I'd seen too many governments become corrupted by power to trust the weapons we've collected to anyone else, but me.

"But so could you." Yes, but I trust me. And I trust my team.

"All alien technology stays on the base. No one's allowed to take anything outside." The rules keep us honest. Torchwood is not a threat to the human race.

"So, go on then, how the hell did you end up in Cardiff."

"This is Torchwood Three. Torchwood One was London, destroyed in the battle. Torchwood Two is in Glasslow, a very strange man. Torchwood Three, Cardiff. Torchwood Four has kind of gone missing, but we'll find it one day." Hopefully with all of its staff relatively sane. Or as sane as they were before they when missing. 

"So you just fancied Cardiff?"

"There is a rift through space and time running right through the city. The weevils didn't come in a space ship, they just slipped through. All sorts of things get washed up here, creatures, time shifts, space junk, debree, flosom and jetsom." Tidal wave after tidal wave of bad news.

"Sounds like Cardiff." There's that wit again. It's odd how natural laughing with her feels.

"Don't knock it, I'm a citizen."

"But where are you from?" You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

"All sorts of places." Most of which I'd like to forget. 

"The thing is we could liaise on this. The serial killer. I could be your liaison with the police." Tempting thought. Unfortunately the only thing we ever need the police to do is get out of our way. Although after meeting Gwen maybe I'll ask a little more politely. 

"Right, I can see the mistake. You think because we showed up at the scene of crime we are out to catch the killer." A logical presumption. Wrong, but logical. "Sorry, nothing to do with us." 

"Then what were you doing there?"

"Testing the glove. We need murder victims, it's as simple as that. The glove only works on the recently deceased and the more violent the trauma, the stronger the resurrection." I've often wondered why that is. Maybe those who go peacefully don't want to come back. 

"No, you were asking that man, John Tucker, I saw you. You were asking him about his killer."

"He'd just been murdered. What else you going to ask?"

"You could get an ID. You could help." She's known about us for all of two days and she already thinks she can us tell how to do our jobs better. Ballsy. Very, very ballsy.

"We're busy." Even if we could to help, it's not like we've gotten anything useful out of the victim's so far. 

"And your work is more important?" Let's see, six billion live versus three? I'd say on the importance scale the odds are a little weighed in our favor.

"Now you've got it."

"Well that's tough shit 'cause if you let me go, I have a duty, I can tell them what you've got, 'cause that glove could help us." She doesn't seem to be as scared of me anymore. I wonder if that's because we're in a public place or because she's started to trust me. Maybe it's neither, maybe her drive to do the right thing outweighs her fear. I guess I'll never know. It was almost time to pull the plug anyway.

"If you remember."

"What d'ya mean?" 

"How's your drink?" I could feel the change in atmosphere so acutely, I wondered at rest of the pub for not shivering. Her smile was gone. Her wide green eyes had iced over. I wasn't a man she was having a drink anymore. I was a threat. 

"Have you poisoned me?" I was actually feeling guilty. That's practically unprecedented. 

"Don't be so dramatic. It's an amnesia pill, my own recipe with a touch of denial and a dash of retcon. You'll wake up tomorrow morning and you will have forgotten everything about Torchwood. Worst still, you'll have forgotten me. Which is kind of tragic." I didn't mean just for her. I didn't like the thought of Gwen Cooper forgetting me. I really didn't like it. Great, now she was bolting away from me like I was Jack the Ripper, instead of Captain Jack Harkness. Bit of an overreaction to one measly amnesia pill. 

"Don't think you can fight it by staying awake. I've mixed in a bit of sedative too."

"Then I'll tell someone!"

"Do you want to do that? Do you really want us to find them too?" Exchanging threats was not how I wanted this night to end. She couldn't have played nice for another twenty minutes?

"You bastard!" She's got a bit of a mouth on her.

"Language! Nice knowing you Gwen Cooper." Despite the last few minutes, it really had been nice. I had to fight the temptation to turn around and watch Gwen sprint down sidewalk in the direction of her car. I wasn't too worried about the sedative effecting her driving. I'm pretty precise with my measurements and the dose I gave Gwen was a little on the light side. She'd still pass out but she'd definitely be safely home when she did. Still, didn't hurt to take precautions. I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and dialed Ianto, who of course picked up after one ring.

"Ianto, Gwen's heading back to her car right now and she's a little under the influence, if you get my meaning. I want you to follow her with the traffic cameras, make sure she gets home alright."

"Of course, sir. Will you be needing any other assistance with …Gwen?" I could have been imagining it, but it sure sounded like Ianto was putting quotations marks around Gwen's name. 

"Yeah, I would guess she's in the mood for typing a diary entry before bed. If you could take care of that, I'd appreciate it."

"Whatever you think is best, sir." 

"Thanks." I pressed the call end button with a little more vigor than usual. I just wish for once Ianto would come out and say whatever it is that he's thinking. I swear he's got layering innocent comments with subtext down to an art form. Some days it was enough to make me want to slam him against the wall and- no, another first, but I actually don't want to think about that particular fantasy right now. I must be coming down with something. What I did what to do was take a long walk, enjoy the night air and think about someone with wide green eyes and an adorable grin that she covers with her hand as she laughs. Funny, I think I'm going miss her. But how can I miss something I never had.


	12. Chapter 12

"Well that's what I've been working for, all day and all night, the rest of them go swanning about while I'm working

Nothing like standing on a rooftop, dozens of stories above the ground, to gain a little perspective. This morning I needed perspective. After a few hours of aimless wandering, I'd returned to an abandoned Hub, ready for my typical night of sleepless rest. As usual my ever waking mind tossed restlessly as my body lay in motionless repose. The only change was that last night I hadn't been haunted by the faces of my past or by the anonymous causalities of the coming war. Last night I had been visited by the three victims of the serial killer. It had been so much worst than imagined ghosts because I had actually spoken to these three beyond the grave. I had seen their faces contorted with fear, heard their petrified voices. I'd used them, teased them with a few extra minutes of life, and sent them back into the darkness. I'd dismissed the victims without a second thought until a stubborn, ballsy policewoman told me that I didn't have the right to ignore them. That they were my problem.

Well, she was wrong, they weren't my problem. Even if I stood on the highest building in the city I wouldn't be able to see the full scope of what I have sworn to protect. John Tucker and the other two victims have an entire police force working to get justice for them. I only have four other people helping me save the world. Well, five if I count that man in Scotland. I'm not sure I do. Nothing to do but trust Cardiff's finest to do their job. They must be more competent than I've given them credit for if the count Police Constable Cooper among their ranks. Let them handle it. It's not my problem.

Ianto had my coffee ready when I walked into headquarters twenty minutes later. 

"Did you enjoy taking the air, sir?" I peered at him over the rim of my cup as I took a long sip. I never tell anyone where I go when I leave for my "walks". I somehow didn't think "I'm off to stand on the edges of rooftops and ponder the impossibility of my own demise" was the kind of thing employees wanted to hear from their bosses. Was this yet another secret Ianto had somehow unearthed? Was there anything anyone did in this place Ianto didn't notice? Maybe I'm just getting paranoid in my old age.

"Yes I did. Anyone else in yet?" 

"Yes sir. Everyone. I suspect they are anxious to hear how things transpired with Gwen last night." No way to mistake that tone twice. Ianto was definitely digging at me for using our witness's first name.

"Well I'll be sure to tell them that PC Cooper is yesterday's news. We need to be focusing on what we have going on today."

It turned out Ianto was right about the team. The second I came through the tunnel everyone stopped working and turned to look at me expectantly.

"Actually how it's supposed to work is you stop working when the boss leaves the room, not when he comes in."

"Come on Jack, let's have it. You let the woman inside our headquarters, lead her around the place like a visiting dignitary, and disappear with her up the invisible lift. It's only natural we want to know what happened next." Hard to believe I'm getting this from Susie. This same Susie, who barely had a word to spare for her coworkers, was suddenly interested in the latest Torchwood gossip? Between the three of them all that was missing was a water cooler. 

"Nothing happened. I took her to a pub, slipped her the retcon, she called me a bastard, we went our separate ways." 

"And that's all?" Tosh sounded almost disappointed.

"Pretty much. It wasn't like it was a date."

"Actually taking a woman out to a pub and being called a bastard would be how I'd define 'date'."

"That's kind of a sad commentary on the state of your love life, Owen."

"Not at all Tosh. My love life is exactly the way I want it, non-existent. My shag schedule, on the other hand, is very full and satisfying. Last night, for instance, I met this woman-"

"So you didn't talk about anything else?" Nice save Susie. Nobody wants to hear about Owen's shag schedule, particularly not Toshiko.

"You mean besides the meaning of life and our idea of the perfect date? We just talked about Torchwood. Oh and she wanted to liaise on the serial killer murders." Kind of hard to forget the way her mouth had set into that stubborn line.

"Liaise on the murders?" The way Owen said the words, you'd think I had spoken in French.

"Yeah. When she saw us questioning the corpse, she assumed we were looking for his killer."

"But we're not. Are we?" Tosh looked back and forth between Susie and Owen, like she was afraid there had been a memo she'd missed.

"Of course we're not, those murders have nothing to do with us. Right Jack?" Susie stared at me for confirmation, but it was another pair eyes that made me hesitant to give it.

"That's what I told PC Cooper." That seems a fair compromise, at least until I have the chance to think through it a little more. "Anyway she wasn't pleased and that's where the evening went sour. End of story."

"Just as well, we can't start doing the police's job for them. It starts with something like this and the next thing you know we're handling accident reports for cars that crashed due to a UFO sighting. Got to let them do some work themselves." If I'm not mistaken I just felt a flicker of resentment at that comment. PC Cooper has already forgotten me. I wonder how much longer it will take for me to forget her. I don't know if I'm up to dealing with the unexpected side effects.

"Well said Owen. Speaking of work, where are we with Chancellor Mill?" He's in here barely an hour and I'm already jumping down his throat. I really do need a #1 Boss mug for my desk.

"Right, well, sadly nowhere. His people have been stonewalling me for the past hour."

"Well get back on the phone with them and tell them to pass along the message that we know where the bodies are buried and if the Chancellor wants them to stay that way, he'd better get back to us ASAP." Good learning experience. The team needs to learn how to play hard ball. 

"Do we know where the bodies are buried?"

"Not yet but we are about to find out. Toshiko, I'm pulling you off the calibration. I want you to track the calls made after Owen finishes stirring the pot. Guarantee you'll find whatever the Chancellor doesn't want us to know."

"How can you be sure?"

"Human nature 101. You think you've been robbed, first thing you do is check the vault."

"But how do you know there even are bodies?"

"He's a ranking politician Tosh. There are always bodies. Susie, the glove research-"

"Will be on your desk in fifteen minutes."

"That's what I like to hear."


	13. Chapter 13

When Susie walked with her report I was staring at the closed manila folder on my desk

Strange how some inanimate objects could take on lives of their own. Take the manila folder that held Gwen Cooper's profile. A perfectly ordinary paper product, yet I had the distinct impression it was yelling at me. In a welsh ascent. I was still pondering whether or not to flip through it one final time when Susie walked in, carrying her report. It didn't take her long to figure out what I was looking at.

"Something on your mind Jack?" She dropped her stack of papers directly on top of the folder.

"Nothing at all Susie."

"Come on oh captain, my captain." Susie was hard to refuse when she called me that. It reminded me of her third week at Torchwood. I'd been ripping into her for some reason, I can't remember what and when I'd finished she'd snapped to, saluted me and said, "Ay, Ay, oh captain, my captain." Can't remember the last time I laughed that hard with Susie.

"It's just the murder victims-"

"God Jack, tell me you're not seriously thinking about that!"

"It might not be that far out of our way. We're already questioning the victims. The next one might see something-"

"And what Jack? We tell the police that we've spoken with the corpse and it said to look for the one-armed man? How do you think they'll respond to that?"

"We make it an anonymous tip to one of the junior officers. Someone young, someone eager-"

"Someone, perhaps, like Gwen Cooper?" I'd say someone exactly like Gwen Cooper.

"Yeah maybe. You have to admit, she's good." 

"Is that what this is really about Jack? Her?" Of course this was about her. I hadn't had a moment's peace since she slipped that nagging doubt into my mind that I wasn't doing enough to help. The question Susie was really asking here was if this was about my getting to see to Gwen again. I had thought about it, thought about if I met her again, face to face, would it trigger the recall. And if it did, what would I do?

"Don't you think we owe the victims something for what we do to them?"

"They're dead Jack. Nothing anyone can do for them. Do you remember what you told me when I first came to work here? You said working here will drive you mad if you let it. That's why you learn distance. You do what you can, serve the greater good, and let the rest go." She was right. I was breaking the cardinal rule, second only to 'Don't mess with the rift'.

"Who am I to ignore advice from such an impeccable source?" I slid Gwen Cooper's profile out from under the glove research and tossed it into the trash bin. 


	14. Chapter 14

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,

I had thought after my conversation with Susie I had put Gwen Cooper and all the nagging doubts she's inspired behind me. Everything had seemingly gone back normal. I read reports while the rest of the team typed industriously at their workstations. The most unusual thing all day was Susie spilling her coffee and even that wasn't much of a surprise given the way Susie had been twitching all day. She must be close to making a breakthrough on the glove. It's the only thing that gets her that worked up. When I asked her about it she told me she wasn't sure yet, that she had to wait and see. Susie keeping things to herself, another sign of Torchwood getting back to its regularly scheduled program. Any feeling of comfort I had about returning to the old routine was destroyed when I returned to my office at the end of the night to find Gwen Cooper's profile back on my desk. If I'd been able to sleep I would have thought I was trapped in a reoccurring nightmare. I picked up the file and was about to toss it into the rubbish bin for the second time when I realized the bin had already been emptied. I hit the call button on my desk.

"Ianto, my office, now." I knew he'd still be here, despite everyone else having left thirty minutes ago. The idea of just me and him alone in an abandoned building usually inspired plenty of fun scenarios in my mind, but none of these were forefront in my thoughts tonight.

"Yes, sir?"

"What's this?" I picked up the folder and waved it at him.

"It would appear to be a file of some sort, sir."

"Yes I know it's a file. In fact I know its PC Cooper's file. What I don't know is what it's doing here on my desk when I distinctly remember throwing it away this morning."

"I'm sorry, you meant to dispose of those papers, sir? Forgive me, I assumed they had merely slipped of your desk and fallen into the bin."

"And why, Ianto, would you assume that? I told you this morning, PC Cooper is yesterday's news."

"I would have thought sir, that even if you weren't intending to file the information away for future use, you would have at least deposited the paper into the recycling bin. We do try to protect the planet here after all." 

"You're right Ianto, we all should do our part to save the world." I handed him the file. "Do with it whatever you see fit, just make such its not in my office when I get back. Don't forget to get the lights before you leave." I grabbed my coat and headed down to the vaults. 

Staring into the eyes of the weevil I wondered as I had wondered many times before if the alien could sense something different about me. Something wrong. Not that the opinion of creatures incapable of coherent speech should matter to me, but then again it wasn't just weevils that I thought about. Strangers on the street, babies in their cradles, did they see me as other, as not quite same. Did my team? Had Gwen Cooper? Had I failed to measure up to what she saw as human?

Somewhere above me I heard the power generators switching on. What was going on? It couldn't be morning yet, could it? I checked my watch. 2:38 am. Way too early for anyone to come in. Something was wrong. I drew my pistol and moved as stealthy and quickly as I could toward the upper levels. Were we under attack? Why weren't the alarms going off? How had they breached our security?

When I reached the central hub the lights were on, but there was no one in sight. There was no evidence of sabotage or robbery. At least that's what I thought until I saw Susie's work area. A few stray papers were scattered on the floor, pens and pencils had been knocked out of their jar. Beyond that the desk was empty. I checked all the drawers. No research materials, no lab results, and most significantly, no knife or no glove. I ran over to the Hub's main computer to check the surveillance and discovered it was already on. Two windows stood out against the blue screen. The first was a short pop up message: Files Deleted. The second was a live video feed of the sidewalk outside. There were two figures standing outside the statue at three o'clock in the morning. I knew both of them. God, how wished I didn't know both of them. In fact I wish I didn't know either of them. It was Susie and Gwen, and Susie was holding a gun. 

The view riding the lift up from the Hub to the street above was fantastic, charmed the tourists every time. The slow pace of the rise allowed visitors a nice leisurely amount of time to appreciate that fantastic view. It wasn't however so convenient for bosses who were trying to prevent employees from committing murder. As I reached the ceiling I was comforted to hear Susie was still talking. That meant Gwen was still alive.

"-Resurrection on demand for the whole world. Isn't that good? Isn't it though?" Was that Susie's plan for the glove? A world of walking corpses? "Well that's what I've been working for, all day and all night, the rest of them go swaning about, while I'm working." How did I not see this? "You've got to get inside this stuff, surrender yourself to it." I did see it, I just dismissed it, I called it dedication. "I did with the knife and the glove." I'm so sorry Susie. "And that's why the perception filter isn't going to work on me." 

Pain. A million times worse than the worst migraine you've ever had. I was on the ground. Susie had shot me. No time to dwell on that now. I stood up feeling the gapping hole in my forehead still struggling to close itself. 

"Put down the gun." My second in command turned to face me, horrified and disbelieving. Maybe resurrection sounded like a better idea in theory than in practice. Maybe it wasn't easy for her to face a man she's just killed. She looked so lost. Hard to believe this was my strong second in command. The woman who called me 'captain, my captain'. My friend. "Susie it's over. Now come with me." Even holding out my hand to her I had no idea what I would do. What could I do? Everyone had to be held accountable for their actions, but I had no idea what would be justice for Susie. 

The sound of the gunshot ripped through the night air and Susie Costello's body fell lifeless onto the pavement. I couldn't think. All those years. All those years of shared danger, joking, arguing, flirting, to have it end like this? What had been the point?

"I, remember." Gwen's choked voice drew my eyes away from my fallen comrade. She had beaten the amnesia pill. Was this the answer I was looking for? "I remember." Gwen fell to her hand and knees, struggling to breathe. The amnesia pill couldn't have picked a worse time fail. This was the kind of experience the mind tried to repress and the rushing of returning memories was hindering that agenda. For the first time in a long time I felt unsure of my course of action. I was torn between comforting the living woman and tending to the body of the dead one. Watching the blood pool around Susie's head I figured I was too late to help her. I could still help Gwen. 

"She killed them. John Tucker and the others. She said she did it for the glove. I remember, but I still don't understand."

I brushed the hair back from her face and cupped her cheek in my hand. "Gwen." When her gaze met mine I did a mental comparison of pupil size. They didn't appear dilated. Her skin didn't feel clammy or cold. Moving my fingers down to her throat I felt a strong pulse, a little faster than usual, but nothing in the dangerous range. Good, she wasn't going into shock. "We need to get you inside. Can you walk?" She nodded numbly at me, but her eyes were drifting back toward Susie.

"Look at me Gwen." I grasped her chin with my forefinger and thumb and turned her head so she could look no where but into my eyes. "I'm going to take care of it. I promise." 


	15. Chapter 15

I had ordered Ianto in earlier than the others to help me get started moving Susie's things into storage

I had ordered Ianto in earlier than the others to help me get started moving Susie's things into storage. Susie had left three boxes worth of personal items here at Torchwood. She had practically lived here. Ianto painstaking packed her possessions away while I removed every last scrap of paper pertaining to the glove and the knife. I threw them all in a metal bin, lit a match and watched the hundred-odd pages burn. Four lives destroyed for this little pile of wood pulp. I looked up to see that Ianto too had paused to watch the flames. I cracked a half-smile.

"I know how you feel about recycling Ianto but-"

"No, I fully agree with you, sir. If there is any redeeming good to be gained from this loss, it won't be from those pages." Reflexively I looked over at Gwen. She was sitting on the sofa sipping the coffee Ianto had prepared immediately upon his arrival. 

"I second that Ianto."

For once Owen's complaining wasn't bothering me. As he went on about being called in early and demanding overtime compensation I realized how much his bad tempered comments made up my conception of the closest thing I had to a home. Toshiko's quiet professionalism was a part of it as well, along with Ianto's organization, and Susie's sparks of dark humor. Susie would never be part of the dynamic again. Fortunately Ianto's absence was only temporary. 

Susie had destroyed all of her records, not only at Torchwood but in every database accessible by computer. I was afraid we would have to call and ask Owen for Susie's home address, but Ianto had another resource. He had all the team's addresses recorded in his personal date book, so he knew where to send his annual Torchwood Christmas cards. There was something tragic about having to use that information to cover up her death. I'd sent him to set up Susie's alibi for her suddenly leaving: A sick aunt in a London hospital. Sad, I don't even know if she had an aunt. I expected him back any minute. Meanwhile I had to tell Tosh and Owen, not only that the woman they'd worked with, and in Owen case slept with, was dead but that she had died a murderer. Wasn't it fun being the boss. I lead the two of them into the conference room. Owen clapped up immediately when he saw Gwen sitting in one of the chairs.

"Tosh, Owen, I believe you remember Gwen Cooper. Gwen, you remember Tosh and Owen." Gwen managed a small tight smile.

"Hello again." At first I thought they'd both been struck dumb, staring at Gwen like she had an extra eye growing out of her head. Tosh was the first to recover, issuing a polite greeting before fixing her stare on me. Owen, who had never been one for politeness, refused to acknowledge Gwen's existence.

"Jack what the hell is going on!"

"Sit down, both of you."

"No. Not until you bloody well tell me-"

"Owen," I used my quietest, deadliest tone, "Sit down." Owen knew my voice too well to argue. He and Tosh silently slid into seats on the far end of the table, distancing themselves from where I stood and Gwen sat. They looked up at me like students waiting for their teacher's lecture. No easy way to say what I had to say, so there was not point in dancing around it.

"Susie's dead. She killed herself." I paused a second, waiting for an outburst from either of them. None came. After five seconds of complete silence Toshiko cleared her throat.

"What…happened?" I thought about answering myself, but I had more on the agenda today than explaining to Owen and Toshiko the loss of their teammate. I also had to introduce her replacement. I needed to establish Gwen's presence here at Torchwood, and that was something I couldn't do without her help.

"For the whole story you need to ask PC Cooper. I was only there for the very end." Now Gwen was in the hot seat. Owen stare alone should have reduced the policewoman to ashes. Was it fair of me to foist this burden onto her after all she'd seen tonight? No. Was it necessary? Yes.

"It was the knife. The knife used on the murder victims. They had a picture of it on the wall at headquarters this morning. Ornamental-looking thing. Three blades. It stayed on my mind all day. I couldn't sleep, couldn't think of anything else. Like it was hidden somewhere in my mind that I couldn't reach. A when I saw the photo of the building some clicked into place. I drove over, I couldn't help myself…and she was there. She had the knife. She pulled out a gun. She told me she killed them, that she's killed them for the glove and she was going to kill me. And then Jack came-" She looked up at me, clearing remembering the next part of the story where I get shot in the head and live. A good point as any to take over the narrative.

"I tried to reason with her, but she was too fast. There was nothing I could do." At least not then. But before, weeks before, if I'd been watching the Rift a little less and my staff a little more, could I have done something? "Susie died because we got arrogant, because we let ourselves believe we are above all rules, even our own. That's not going to happen anymore. Let's go." They all followed me out of the conference room and down into the storage vaults. Ianto was ready and waiting with the keys. I set the glove and the knife down on the table. "Is there anything else that belongs in this pile? And before you answer I want you to really think about the woman lying on the metal slab in the morgue right now." 

Ianto busied himself securely locking up the dangerous equipment. As he finished slotting the locked box back into the wall Tosh came forward and placed the data compressor onto the table. Owen was right behind her surrendering the pheromone spray. Gwen leaned up against the back wall a silent witness to the truth of her own words. Looking back on everything she'd said, her comments seemed like prophesies. 

"I've already finished the prep for Susie's body. If anyone wants to say goodbye, now's the time." Tosh and Owen looked uncomfortable, not able to look at me or each other.

"No, thank you Jack. I really won't know what to say."

"I understand Tosh. Owen?"

"I said everything I needed to say to her when she was alive. No sense in bothering with more now she's dead."

"If that's your decision. Ianto?"

"I'd prefer to remember Susie as she was, sir, not as she is." I knew he wasn't just talking about her lifeless body. I felt the same, but as I had a hand in making Susie the broken woman she's died as, it was my duty to grieve the whole person, scars and all.


	16. Chapter 16

Owen and toshiko

There was something so final about zipping up a body bag, knowing you would never see that face again. Once you closed it the body inside ceased to be a person and became one more stiff, one more bag of frozen peas stuffed in a glorified freezer. Could Susie Costello have known when I'd recruited her that it would end like this: Me putting her into cold storage, slamming the door on her life?

The irony was that it could have gone so many other ways. If we'd never found the glove, if I hadn't put her in charge of it, if Gwen Cooper hadn't been in the alley that night. Gwen Cooper. The alley, the hospital, the pizza, the tour, the failing amnesia pill. If not for the precise sequence of choices and coincidences involving Gwen Cooper, Susie Costello would still be alive. It was enough make me think Ianto had been right all along. Maybe it was fate.

I found Gwen Cooper waiting in my office, looking down on the activity of the floor below. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she stood so still she seemed like a permanent fixture of the room. I would do my best to make sure she became just that.

"Come on PC Cooper. I know somewhere with a great view of the city."

It wasn't the tallest building in Cardiff, but it was the one with the best outlook over the harbor. I picked this roof because I thought it was the most soothing, and after all Gwen Cooper been through tonight I thought she'd appreciate it. It was different have someone up here with me. It changed the meaning of being so high above everything. The beauty was still there, but it was less…lonely. I liked it. 

"Owen and Toshiko. You didn't tell them you were shot in the head and survived." Thought she probably noticed that little omission. And she hadn't said anything.

"You didn't either. You followed my lead." You trusted me and kept my secret. "Keep doing that and you might just get through this." I'll have to be more careful this time. What happened to Susie would not happen to Gwen.

"But she killed you." What could I say? Deny what she'd seen? Tell her it was a trick of the light, a misfire, a phony bullet, a hallucination brought on by shock? Flimsy explanations and outright lies. I didn't want my relationship with Gwen Cooper to be based on that.

"I can't die." I said it out loud and the world didn't collapse. Good sign.

"OK." I got the impression Gwen would dispute nothing that came out of my mouth at this point, like a dream where there's no use arguing with the strangeness of it. 

"But I can't." I needed her to believe me, to begin seeing the impossible as part of her real world. 

"Something happened to me a while back, a long story and far away. But I was killed and then I was brought back to life and ever since then I can't die." I usually tried not to think about the Doctor and Rose. Some of my best and worst memories in what was a relatively short span of time. 

"But how?"

"I don't know." Wish I did. "But one day I'll find a doctor, the right sort of doctor, and maybe he can explain it, but until then-"

"Nothing kills you?"

"Well kind of freaks people out" Susie immediately comes to mind. "So, best if you don't say anything." Strange way to begin a relationship, having to trust a virtual stranger with my biggest secret. Stranger still, how comfortable I feel with it.

"It doesn't matter anyway, you'll only wipe my memory again." Again Gwen Cooper, I think we've gone past that stage.

"Why would I do that?" Sending her away the first time was bad enough. To do it a second time- "Torchwood's got a vacancy. A job going spare. Do you want it?" I feel like a teenage boy asking his crush to the prom. I think my palms are actually sweating. 

"But what do you need me for?" To keep me honest. To keep me remembering what I'm fighting for.

" 'Cause maybe you were right." About pretty much everything. "We could do more to help. What to think, you want to join up?" Come with me. You'll never get tired of the things I can show you.

"Yeah. I do, yes." I didn't doubt it for a second. After all, you can't fight fate. 


End file.
